Valle de Cocora - Colombia

Introduction

The Cocora valley is a valley in the sector of Quindío in the country of Colombia. It is situated in the Central Cordillera of the Andean Alps. "Cocora" was the name of a Quimbayan princess, daughter of the native chief Acaime, and means "star of water". The valley is a portion of the Los Nevados National Natural Park, built-in into the current national park by the Colombian government in 1985. It is the prime locale of the national tree and emblem of Colombia, the Quindío wax palm, as well as a wide range of other flora and fauna (some endangered), all of which are secure under the park's national status.

History

The area was entitled a shielded park by the Colombian government in 1985 in response to the forthcoming warning of extinction of the Ceroxylon quindiuense, the Quindío wax palm. The palms were carried to the brink of elimination in part owing to their utility in making wax candles and building materials for farmers, but most of all because they were customarily cut down annually for branches on Palm Sunday. The park remains to this day one of the few places in the world that you can find these enormous trees, which, while quite exceptional, are no longer under forthcoming warning. You can find some other ones in botanical gardens, such as the San Francisco Botanical Garden in San Francisco, California.

Landscape

Valle de Cocora is a natural cloud forest, although the area around the settlement of Cocora is used for meadow. The landscape is undoubtedly Andean, with the valley following a river lined by steep mountain foothills.

Flora and Fauna

The wax palm, the Colombian national tree, is apparently the main temptation. It is the tallest palm in the world, rising up to 60 meters, while keeping the width of any old palm, making for a very willowy colossal, a gigantic pole topped with a little crown of palm leaves. Their wide root systems make for an odd visual: palms shooting up hundreds of feet into the sky, all extensively but equally spaced apart, as if planted decisively.

Other indigenous flora of note includes the Pino Romerón, puyas, frailejónes, and encenillos. More exceptional flora are to be found when you climb past Estrella de Agua and enter the Páramo alpine tundra in Los Nevados National Park.

The fauna is possibly less valued by tourists, and in equality, the more fascinating animals make themselves pretty scarce: vanishing mountain tapirs, spectacled bears, sloths, and mountain lions. Of birds, the most obvious are surely the big Andean condor, but the most remarkable are the yellow-eared parrot, which nests in the hollow stems of the wax palms themselves. This bond to the palms has seen the yellow-eared parrot similarly brought to the verge of extinction, but a firm rescue effort has taken the bird back to endangered status, with a count of over 1500 in 2012. The park is also occupied with hummingbirds, which are easiest to find at the feeding stations at the hummingbird asylum, Acaime.

Climate

Valle de Cocora is controlled year round, owing to its closeness to the equator, and advancement of 1800 to 2400 meters above sea level. As it is a cloud forest, it is exceedingly wet, with repeated rainfall. So it's cool and wet—dress accordingly and bring boots for the mud!

Road to the Valley     

Supposedly, there are jeeps going from the central plaza of Salento. However, there really isn't a set schedule. There is a set of jeeps in the square in the morning, and they leave if they find the enough no of people to fill the jeeps, and the situation is precisely the same on the return trip. The price (one-way) per person is COP3,400 (Nov 2015). Valle de Cocora is a well-liked place for Colombian travelers year-round, so this procedure is never too hard. To assure you have sufficient time at the park, though, you'll want to be on the square no later than 9 AM (8 AM or earlier would be ideal). If you have a big wad of cash, you can buy all the seats in the jeep then you can go whenever you want. The ride on the jeep will be a little over of 30 min.

The road to Cocora is bumpy but can be done in a sedan, which you'll have to leave parked on the side of the road (along with the jeeps).

Once you arrive at Cocora, you'll see the wooden gate entrance.

Fees and Permits

No fees, no permits, no nothing—just go walk into the valley!

Get Around

The park/valley is very small all of you can cover the park floor in one day on foot, although horseback riding is also an option. Keep in mind that parts of the track are more than two miles above sea level, so if you are not familiarized to the Andes, the hike will be hard.

Attraction

Valle de Cocora isn't precisely long on scenes—the temptation is the environment itself, and of course, the wax palms. The one exclusion might be the hummingbird asylum:

·       Acaime. Acaime is a hummingbird asylum and usefully placed coffee shop. It costs COP5,000 (2016) for entry and a hot beverage plus fresh cheese, which is very worthy, if only for some hot chocolate, tea, or coffee and some chit chat with other tourists, all happy to sit down after trekking around the jungle. There are hummingbird feeders right by the sitting area so you can watch various varieties of hummingbirds flutter about while you sip. COP5,000 (2016)

Eateries

Within the valley, there is only the cafe at Acaime, which is inexpensive and very comfortable after trekking, but also tremendously basic—most tourists get their calories just via the oh so Colombian hot chocolate and fresh cheese combo. Just outside the park, though, there are some beautiful and very ambiance enriched countryside cafes serving the native trucha specialty (trout), and that's absolutely a nice way to spend time at the end of the hike if you aren't ready to speed back to Salento. Well, informed travelers will bring some arepas or other street food to have a picnic placed intentionally at some beautiful overlook or another.

Something to Drink 

If you want a beer, there is only one place you can find a beer is at the entrance, but alcohol doesn't do well at high altitudes while hiking. Water does. They sell mineral water bottles at the entry and at Acaime, or you can just buy some up in Salento. It is best to bring some water bottles along with you while you are hiking because the hiking is long.